Her Absent Memory

Chapter Ten

I open up the bottom drawer of my nightstand and pull out two small tickets that I got from a friend a few weeks back. We had a wicked taco eating contest and I beat the hell out of him. Therefore, I won two tickets to this super cool old-fashioned arcade and roller rink. I've heard really great things about it, so I can't wait to surprise Sutton on our technical first date tonight. I tuck the tickets into my wallet and then stick it in my back pocket. Then, I take a moment to give myself a final once-over in the mirror. I made sure to look presentable, since this is an exciting occasion. However, my version of "presentable" is a black sweatshirt, a pair of stone washed jeans, a black beanie, and a pair of black Vans. Black is very trendy.

I lock my bedroom door and set up my bed to make it look like I'm sleeping, just in case my dad manages to get into my room. I then pry open my window and go through it like a ninja. I'm careful not to make any noise as I slip over to my car and zoom out of the trailer park. When I start getting close to Sutton's house, my heart begins pounding in my chest. I've never really felt this nervous about another human being before. This is new. I turn on the radio to try and distract myself from the nerves as I continue on my way. Soon enough, I'm parked in the driveway. I get out and walk up to the front door before knocking a few times. Her older sister swings the door open and a wicked grin forms on her face.

"Hey, Riley. I'm Parker." She steps outside and closes the door behind her.

"Yep, I'm Riley! It's nice to meet y-"

"Let's cut the bullshit and get straight to the point. I want my sister back by 11:30. That doesn't mean drop her off at 11:30. That means she should be home at 11:00. Treat her good, pay for dinner, and if you hurt her... I'll hurt you." Parker warns.

I swallow hard and hesitantly nod my head.

"And most importantly... Have fun!" She adds just as Sutton opens the door.

"Hey!" Her face lights up and she pulls me into a tight hug.

"Hi," I breathe, "Your sister scared the shit out of me."

"She does that," Sutton giggles as we get into my car, "So, where are we going this evening?"

"I figured that our first stop can be a nice dinner at Noodle House and then I have a fun surprise," I tell her, pulling out of her driveway.

"That sounds appropriate." She notes.

"I hope you'll find the evening to your liking," I say in a fancy voice.

The car ride to Noodle House is brief. I park the car and Sutton and I walk into the restaurant together. The hostess greets us and quickly shows us to a booth. I sit on one side and Sutton sits on the other. We order our drinks as she hands us two menus to look over. After our drinks arrive, we order our food and the hostess disappears into the kitchen. In the mean time, Sutton and I make conversation.

"What was your first impression of me?" Sutton asks, taking a sip of her lemonade.

"I remember I was being cocky because I thought you were cute," I admit, "I thought you were adorable. I told my friends about you. Fallon was jealous."

She blushes and takes another drink, "What about me? What was your first impression of me?" I ask.

"Oh, gosh... Well, I was a little confused about you. But I thought you were funny and I figured you out soon enough." She says, rolling up her straw wrapper into a ball.

"Ah, so you have me all figured out then?" I ask.

"I think I might. I'm pretty smart, you know." Sutton teases, flicking the wadded up straw wrapper at me.